


Traditions Continued

by Dearieforever



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28229808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dearieforever/pseuds/Dearieforever
Summary: Set in the Fae verse.  Bae is a grown man now, and Rumple is going to miss one of their Yule and birthday traditions.  Or will he?





	Traditions Continued

All children eventually grow up. Rumple knew this of course. He was proud of the man Bae had grown into; a brave, intelligent, and caring person who any father would be proud to have for a son. He was overjoyed at the love Bae had found with Wendy. She was as good as a daughter to him, and clearly loved Bae as much as Bae loved her. That didn’t mean Rumple didn’t miss the days when Bae was a little boy.  
It was especially hard with Yule coming, and Yule being Rumple’s birthday only added to that. It was the first year Bae would not be living at home. Not that Silver Sage Castle would be empty and not that he wouldn’t see Bae. His mother and godmother lived in the castle, and all the Hatters except Devon lived there as well. Bae, Wendy, and all his friends who didn’t live in the castle lived in the village nearby. They’d all be getting together for the big celebration.  
Still, there was one tradition that wouldn’t happen that year. Ever since he was little, Bae woke Rumple up before sunrise every single Yule morning without fail. They always watched the sun be reborn together. Rumple would pretend to complain about the early awakening and act like he was fighting to remain asleep. The truth was, he loved that tradition as much as Bae did. Bae knew that.  
He ended up going to bed early, as if Bae were still at home and he needed to be ready for the early morning. He dreamed of when Bae was a little boy and all the joy the morning of the first day of Yule brought for them. Then for some reason he started dreaming of having tea. Once he was fully awake, he realized why. There was clearly a kettle whistling somewhere.  
He followed the sound to a small study just off his bedroom, the one where he kept his spinning wheel. On one of the tables there was the most unusual way to make tea he’d ever seen. There was a metal teapot whistling on a metal stand. Attached to it was a cage with a fire salamander inside. When Rumple got out of bed and examined the setup closer, he saw that a counterweight had been attached to a miniature hourglass to knock over a ball down a chute to open the slot the salamander was breathing fire through.  
“I think that’s enough fire, Bruni. The kettle’s already whistling,” Bae said to the salamander as he walked into the study. The little creature looked at him and stopped breathing fire. Bae went over to Rumple and hugged him.   
“Happy birthday and Merry Yule, Papa.”  
“Merry Yule, Bae. I wasn’t expecting to see you this early, though.”  
Bae laughed.  
“You didn’t believe I’d miss our tradition, did you? I’ve been waiting to see your reaction to this for months. Of course, Grandma had to help me keep it hidden until now with her magic.”  
Rumple smiled at the thought of his mother and Bae working together for this surprise.  
“It’s a wonderful gift, Bae. I’m impressed with all the work you put into designing it.”  
“Well, Bruni deserves credit too,” Bae said. He’d always had a way with animals. It should have been no surprise the fire salamander listened to him. Bae had always had a gift with animals.   
“Thank you, Bruni,” Rumple agreed, and the salamander made a happy chirping sound.  
Rumple and Bae took the tea as well as some sweets outside. It was still dark, but well bundled and with the help of a warming spell the chill of the night didn’t bother them. The sun was just beginning to cause a glow on the horizon, and as they watched Fiona and Tiger Lily joined them.  
“My son born with the sun,” Fiona said with a smile. “Right from your birth you were special. And the first magic you ever did was even bringing back the light when the candles blew out!” The love for him was clear in her eyes. Because she had made a desperate choice in an effort to save him, she had missed so many birthdays. Now though, there was time to make up for it.  
Rumple hugged both her and Tiger Lily as they wished him a happy birthday. By the time the sun was in the sky, even Wendy had messaged Bae through the mirror and was brought to the castle. They exchanged Yule gifts, although Rumple’s birthday gifts were placed on a table for the time being. They always set aside part of the day especially for his birthday.   
The Yule celebration in the village was as delightful as always. Everyone enjoyed the communal feast, with Rumple’s collie Imp and Bae’s big gray dog Bobby getting plenty of scraps. There was music, and the annual play of the Oak and Holly king, as well as wassailing. Rumple’s best friend Dale especially enjoyed joining in the singing. Singing had always been a help to his stammer, and he thoroughly enjoyed music.  
They stayed long enough to enjoy the bonfires, but then the family gathered at the castle for the birthday party. There were many wonderful gifts that year, but although Bae’s gift was cleverly made and each present was given with love, Rumple still felt none of them could match just being together, even if that did mean getting up before the sun. The tradition of that extra time each Yule would continue, and that was something no other gift could match.


End file.
